moralalec's review against another edition

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4.0

While I've recently discovered my love and fascination for science, particularly in regards to the medical sciences. I have noticed that many non-fiction science books can be far more "meh" and a lot less mesmerizing (i.e. Astrophysics in a hurry). Fortunately for me, this book was much the opposite. The way in which the author wove countless stories together to paint the reader a picture of neuroscience and its vast amount of discoveries was quite awe-inspiring. Granted there were moments of boredom (although this may have been more due to my lack of sleep than the actual content), Sam Kean still constantly found ways to keep me engaged and coming back for more. The amount of information I learned from this 350-page book rivals what I've learned from the millions of textbook pages I've read throughout my life (not really, but I like to be hyperbolic). I will certainly be looking forward to seeing what the artist formerly known as Sam Kean will be releasing next.

pallasalex's review against another edition

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hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.25

anghillable's review against another edition

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adventurous funny informative medium-paced

5.0

dcunitz's review against another edition

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4.0

"In fact, while we joke about a poor memory as a sieve, that's actually the wrong way around. Sieves let water leak through, but they catch the substantial things - they catch what we want to preserve."

dillonbrantley's review against another edition

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4.0

Sam Kean as always does an excellent job presenting the history of a scientific endeavor. He presents the anecdotes that fill psychology with appropriate skepticism and discusses the field's limitations openly.

ashablue's review against another edition

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5.0

Fascinating and not for the squeamish.

princessbilbo's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

4.5

So interesting and I learned so much. I was a bit uncomfortable with how he presented some info and some of the jokes though 

kf1's review

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funny informative lighthearted reflective medium-paced

5.0

mighty_lizard_queen's review against another edition

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Made excuses for a pedophile

emmy_readz's review against another edition

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5.0

This is the perfect non fictional medical book. It draws you in. Shows you humanity and science. It blends together the reason people dedicate their lives to medicine and the history behind it. If you aren't in the medical field, it's still accessible. The writing isn't so pretentious that you have to have an MD to understand it, but the content isn't watered down.